August 3, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly. For almost a year now, we’ve brought you ancient wisdom for modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. But today — the History Author Show’s 1st Anniversary, August 3, 2016 — represents our last midweek installment. While Van Bryan will lend his voice to future episodes, he’s focusing on all the great new content at ClassicalWisdom.com. To keep up to date on the changes there, remember to sign up for their newsletter right here. (Which will also earn you some free gifts!) We want to thank Van for all his contributions, and for giving us the greatest gift of all: The gift of the great ancient thinkers. Since you no doubt will be negative on losing this midweek dose of wisdom, we figured it was appropriate to make this swansong show about…hate. What is it? Who do we hate? And why? In a modern context, we assume hate to be similar to prejudice. We are all familiar with “hate crimes” and “hate speech”. Aristotle, however, takes something of a contrary view. Hate, he says, can sometimes be quite virtuous. Podcast: Download (Duration: 6:59…

July 27, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly– bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. The subject of death has been a source of fascination, and unease, for philosophers and religious seekers for centuries. How exactly should we feel about our deaths? Should it be a source of concern? Should we fear it? If you were to ask the ancient Roman, Lucretius, his answer would probably be a resounding… “eh”. Death, Lucretius says, does not concern us. Today we find out why. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:13 — 7.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly– bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. Have you ever wondered just how all those ancient Roman buildings are still standing even after thousands of years of wars, earthquakes, erosion, and encroaching modernity? Well, the secret to the durability of ancient Roman architecture is now out, and you won’t believe the findings. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 7:08 — 6.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

July 6, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. You might not believe it, but if it weren’t for Cicero, the United States might never have broken away from England. And if it weren’t for the philosopher, Epicurus, it is possible that Thomas Jefferson might never have put ink to parchment and penned the words, “…that all men are created equal.” That’s right, dear listener, we are going to find out just how the classics inspired the creation of America. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 7:46 — 7.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

June 29, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. Palmyra is an ancient city in the Syrian desert, about 100 miles north of Damascus, which was snatched up by ISIS in late 2015. On this episode, we look at the history of Palmyra. Palmyra was, in the words of the historian Edward Gibbon, “… a cultivated spot in the barren desert of Arabia that rose like an island out of the sandy ocean.” Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:13 — 7.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

June 22, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. Let me ask you something. Are you happy? Do you feel happy? Is there a difference? Today we discuss some classical wisdom that gives us a rather unusual take on human happiness. You see, at least according to the Athenian Solon, nobody is happy until they die! Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:12 — 7.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

June 15, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. What’s Greek for realpolitik? The best answer might be “Thucydides”. The man who has been given the title “Father of Political Realism” saw the greatest war of the classical age as a foregone conclusion, and endless cycle of violence and destruction. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:13 — 7.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

June 8, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. It’s the trial of the century, perhaps the millennium! Socrates is on trial for his life. His accusers would seem him dead, but the father of Western philosophy won’t go down without a fight. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 9:11 — 8.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

June 1, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. You might be familiar with the Trojan war and how the Trojan Horse swiftly put an end to the city of Troy. But what you might not know is what happened next. The Roman poet Virgil, picks up where Homer leaves off. And as we will see, he might not have had the purest intentions when putting pen to parchment to craft the epic, The Aeneid. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 6:23 — 5.8MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

May 25, 2016 – It’s Classical Wisdom Wednesday, presented by Classical Wisdom Weekly — bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds, every Wednesday morning before your first cup of coffee. We might take for granted our civil liberties. Those of us living in the modern age might think that the political freedoms that we enjoy are the norm, but history buffs know that this was not always the case. When we talk about political liberty (at least in the Western, European tradition) we often think of the age of enlightenment. However, before Lock or Voltaire, the ancients were crafting, dare we say inventing, the earliest forms of political freedoms. Your guide through the classical landscape is Van Bryan, Associate Editor of Classical Wisdom Weekly. You can catch Classical Wisdom Wednesday every week before your first cup of coffee, right here on the History Author Show. Podcast: Download (Duration: 6:52 — 6.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS | More